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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792239">Harry Potter except I'm in control: Chamber of Secrets</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannydrabblesalot/pseuds/dannydrabblesalot'>dannydrabblesalot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter except I'm in control [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, I will not be repeating the tags, no</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:33:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,699</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannydrabblesalot/pseuds/dannydrabblesalot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>JK Rowling I control your franchise now. Cower in fear. Your transphobic butt cannot stop me. Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Expect slower updates but I'll try to update as soon as I can</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Viktor Krum, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Ron Weasley, refresher:, same as in the first one</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter except I'm in control [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063715</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Birthday Bashed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hedwig just wants to </span>
  <em>
    <span>fly, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Uncle.” Harry pleaded desperately. “She’s incredibly bored.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I look </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vernon spat back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t want me to answer that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought. “I know exactly what would happen if you let out that bloody penguin!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry sighed. This must’ve been the tenth time they’d had this conversation. Harry was about to fire something back, but was drowned out by a groan from Dudley.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want more bacon.” Dudley groaned greedily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s more in the frying pan, sweetums.” Petunia said sweetly. She turned to Dudley. “We do need to fatten you up...I don’t trust that school….”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nonsense Petunia.” Vernon chortled. “I was never hungry when I went to Smeltings...Dudley gets enough, don’t you, son?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dudley grinned and turned to Harry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pass the frying pan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’s the magic word?” Harry said, irritated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon Harry saying this, he realized his mistake. Aunt Petunia gave out a horrified gasp, Dudley jumped away from where he was seated, and Uncle Vernon lunged at Harry, but Harry ducked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU,” Vernon yelled, fuming, “ABOUT USING THE M WORD IN THIS HOUSE?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I meant ‘please’, not-” Harry pleaded quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“HOW DARE YOU THREATEN MY SON?!” Vernon waggled a fat finger at Harry’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Petunia, looking rather white, hurriedly escorted Dudley and herself out of the kitchen. Vernon grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck and dragged him upstairs, and threw him into his attic-bedroom. He locked the door from the outside. Harry sighed and walked to Hedwig’s cage, which had a big, gaudy lock on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I tried, Hedwig.” Harry said, defeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hedwig gave a sympathetic screech as Harry walked over to his sorry excuse for a bed. He picked up the book sitting on it. The gift Hagrid gave him. He sat down on the bed and turned the pages, looking at the pictures of his parents smiling up at him. He smiled back, wishing he could be there with them. He soon reached the end.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry closed the book and set it aside. He laid back on his bed and sighed as memories began to return. Memories of his year at Hogwarts. Playing Exploding Snap with the Weasley twins, the owl post, the feasts in the Great Hall, Hagrid with his small hut near the Forbidden Forest…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt his eyes watering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He remembered the friends he made at Hogwarts. He remembered him telling them to call, and Ron promising to invite him over. Neither of those things were fulfilled. They had forgotten him. Given how much better their lives were compared to his, he would too. Today was Harry’s birthday, so if they didn’t write any other day, he hoped they’d write today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, Harry heard his door unlock, and there was Dudley in the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Daddy wants you downstairs.” Dudley said, his voice still a little shaky from before. Harry didn’t reply. He got up and followed Dudley down the stairs. Dudley scurried off to his father’s side, where he was sitting on the sofa in the living room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vernon clapped his hands together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, as we all know, today is a very special day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s face lit up, his hopes soaring. Could they really…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Today could be the biggest deal of my career.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s hopes crashed. Of course he wasn’t talking about his birthday. Harry kicked himself for hoping. Uncle Vernon was talking about his stupid dinner party. He had been talking about nothing else for days now. Uncle Vernon’s company sold drills, and he was hoping to supply drills for some Mr. Mason (who owned a construction company).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. and Mrs. Mason will be coming over for dinner today. I’m hoping to score a deal with him, so I hope you all will be on your best behaviour.” Vernon glared at Harry with that last word. “With our luck, I’ll have the deal signed before the news at ten and we’ll be shopping for a holiday home in Majorca by tomorrow.” Harry didn’t care, the Dursleys wouldn’t like him much more in Majorca than they did in Privet Drive. “Now, let’s run through the schedule now. The Masons will arrive at 8 o'clock. We should all be in position. Petunia, you will be-?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In the lounge.” Aunt Petunia said promptly. “Waiting to welcome them into our home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. And you, Dudley?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be waiting to open the door.” Dudley put on an unintelligent smile. “May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ll love him!” Aunt Petunia clasped her hands enthusiastically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excellent.” Uncle Vernon turned to Harry with a grimace. “And you, boy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be in my room, making no noise and pretending that I don’t exist.” Harry said flatly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right you will.” Vernon snarled. “I’ll lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, serve them drinks, and at eight-fifteen-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll announce dinner.” Aunt Petunia said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you, Dudley?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?” Dudley offered his arm out to an invisible woman.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you, boy?” Vernon spun around at Harry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be in my room, making no noise and pretending that I don’t exist.” Harry said, his voice dull.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Precisely. Now, we should aim for a few compliments, Petunia, any ideas?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Vernon tells me you’re a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason….you </span>
  <em>
    <span>must </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell me where you get your blouses, Mrs. Mason…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfect! And you, Dudley?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about, ‘Mr. Mason, we had to write about her hero for school, and I wrote about you.’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was too much for Aunt Petunia. With a wistful sigh, she rushed forward and hugged her son dearly. Harry could barely hold back his laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you boy?” Vernon said to Harry nastily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be in my room, making no noise and pretending that I don’t exist.” Harry said as dully as he could while trying to hold back laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right - Now, I’m off to get me and Dudley’s dinner coats. And you boy, stay out of your aunt’s way while she cleans.” With that, Vernon disappeared out the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry trudged out the back door into the sickeningly neat lawn behind, and sat on the floor with a sigh. He made patterns in the grass with a finger as he muttered to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Happy birthday to me…..happy birthday to me....”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No cards or presents. He’d be spending the evening pretending to not exist. Harry was miserable. He missed his friends dearly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had been on the verge of magicking Hedwig’s cage open for weeks. He knew he couldn’t do it, because the Ministry of Magic did not allow underage wizardry outside of school. He hadn’t told the Dursleys this - if he did, he’d have no leverage - and he had loads of fun muttering nonsense at Dudley, making him fret. But even that had lost its charm. He’d give anything for a message from anyone in the wizarding world - even Draco Malfoy, his archenemy - but nothing. At all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at the hedge across from him, trying to keep himself occupied. He looked at it for a few moments, before the hedge looked back at him. Two bulging eyes were sitting in the hedge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry jumped to his feet. The eyes blinked then disappeared. A voice came from behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know what day it is…” Dudley jeered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well done, you’ve learnt the days of the week.” Harry said sarcastically. He knew Dudley would never learn that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Today’s your birthday.” Dudley sneered. “No cards! Don’t you have any friends at that freakshow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better not let your mom hear you talking about my school.” Harry said coolly, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what Dudley had said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you staring at the hedge?” Dudley asked, his voice suspicious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m….” Harry thought for a moment. “I’m trying to figure out what spell to use on it. I think I might set it on fire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dudley stumbled back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not - D-dad said - You can’t do m-magic!” Dudley stammered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Bippity boppity boo!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry called out fiercely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“MUUUUUM!!!!!” Dudley yelled, running away from Harry. “MUUUUUM! HE’S DOING YOU KNOW WHATTTTTT!!!!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry paid for his second of fun dearly. Neither Dudley nor the hedge were hurt, so Aunt Petunia knew Harry didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>anything, but she still gave him tons of work to do. So while Dudley cheerfully licked through a tub of ice cream, Harry was made to scrub down basically the entire kitchen, mow the lawns, scrub the windows, washed the car, and repainted the fences. He shouldn’t have… but Dudley had said exactly what he had feared…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wish they could see the famous Harry Potter now.” Harry thought savagely, as he spread manure on a flowerbed, sweat beading down his forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At half past seven, Aunt Petunia finally called him inside, to Harry’s relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get in here! Walk on the newspaper!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry walked inside, and met Aunt Petunia, placing cherries on a magnificent pudding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eat quickly, the Masons are coming soon!” Aunt Petunia pointed to a pitiful meal of bread, cheese and cold tinned soup, all on a tray. “Take it upstairs! And not one sound.” Harry washed his hands and grabbed his tray, and quickly went upstairs. He got a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in dinner coats and yellow bowties.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slinked into his room on tiptoe, shut the door quietly, and turned to sit on his bed and eat his sorry excuse for supper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As, there was someone sitting on it.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Bearer of Bad News</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harry is visited by a weird someone.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Harry tried to not scream or point at the thing seated on his bed. It had a small, button nose, long batlike ears, a round body almost like an onion, long legs and big feet and hands, sandy brown skin with an almost stony texture, wearing what looked to be a pillowcase. It had bulging eyes. Harry recognized them from the hedge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry heard Dudley greeting the Masons downstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thing, noticing Harry’s presence, jumped off his bed quickly and bowed, its nose touching the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what an honor it is sir, truly.” The thing said fervently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry had the urge to ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>what, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but decided to be polite. “Th-thank you...Who </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house elf.” The creature replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh - nice name.” Harry said quickly. “Not to be mean, but, this isn’t the best time to have a house elf in my bedroom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The house elf’s head hung low, making Harry immediately regret what he said. He heard Aunt Petunia’s false laugh from downstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pleased to meet you - truly I am - but, is there any particular reason you’re here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes!” Dobby clasped his hands fervently. “Dobby has much to tell you, sir.... Dobby wonders where to begin…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sit down.” Harry said helpfully and motioned to his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He regretted that, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby burst into tears, loud and noisy tears, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To sit down!” Dobby said in between sobs. “No wizard has ever asked Dobby to </span>
  <em>
    <span>sit down! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Like an </span>
  <em>
    <span>equal!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t have met any good wizards then - I didn’t mean to offend you Dobby…” Harry tried to comfort and shush Dobby at the same time, meanwhile straining to hear the meeting downstairs. So far so good, other than the crying elf in his bedroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby has heard of Harry Potter’s greatness sir, but his goodness, Dobby has never…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby suddenly stopped crying. He shook his head, and then took a lamp from Harry’s table, and hit himself across the head with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bad Dobby!” He said to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby, </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop it!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry snatched the lamp from him and placed it behind him. “What on </span>
  <em>
    <span>earth </span>
  </em>
  <span>are you doing?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby had to punish himself sir, Dobby almost spoke ill of his family…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The family Dobby serves sir…A house elf is bound to a family forever sir…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t like the sound of that. It seemed like an archaic system that should’ve been replaced by now. It’s 1992, not 1853.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do they know you’re here?” Harry asked ominously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby shuddered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, they do not...Dobby will have to punish himself most severely after this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Won’t they notice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby doubts that sir…Dobby’s family would be delighted to see Dobby punish himself...they would even suggest more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby’s family must be </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I help you escape somehow?” Harry asked daringly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby burst out into even more wails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter is great! Harry Potter is kind!” Dobby cried rapturously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please be quiet Dobby…” Harry tried to thank and shush at the same time. “And what’s this rubbish about me being ‘great’? I’m not even top of the class, that’s Hermione, she-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry stopped. Thinking about Hermione was painful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter is humble and </span>
  <em>
    <span>modest!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dobby said, his voice reverent, his eyes glowing. “Harry Potter does not speak of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Voldemort?” Harry asked casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speak not the name!” Dobby clasped his hands, his eyes terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Harry said apologetically. “I know a lot of people who don’t like it, my friend Ron-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby heard of Harry Potter’s second triumph over the Dark Lord….not too long ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, making Dobby burst into tears once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter is great! It pains Dobby to tell Harry Potter this… but Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Harry whisper-shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a plot! A horrible plot to make terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!” Dobby replied grimly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A plot? Who’s plotting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby reached for Harry’s lamp once more. Harry stopped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it you can’t say.” Harry said quickly. “Why are you warning me specifically? This hasn’t got anything to do with Vol - sorry - You-Know-Who, does it?” Harry looked Dobby up and down suspiciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No sir.” Dobby seemed to be giving Harry a hint, but Harry was clueless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t got a brother or sister, has he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can’t think of anyone who’s a threat to Hogwarts then.” Harry said proudly. “I mean, there’s Dumbledore. You know Dumbledore right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby bowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had, Dobby knows this sir. But there’s horrors Albus Dumbledore - no decent wizard…” Dobby dashed behind Harry and grabbed the lamp, using it to hit his head and yelping out painfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Downstairs suddenly went silent. Harry heard Vernon give some sort of excuse before lumbering upstairs. Harry grabbed Dobby by the shabby pillowcase he was wearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay in there - and be QUIET.” Harry whispered sharply as he pushed Dobby into a closet and closed it quickly, as Vernon entered the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing boy?!” Vernon asked frustratingly. “You ruined the punchline of my Japanese </span>
  <em>
    <span>golfer joke!” A racist joke, most likely, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought to himself. “One more sound and you’ll wish you’ve never been </span>
  <em>
    <span>born!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>With that, Vernon lumbered back down the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry let Dobby out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See what it’s like? I belong with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>- In Hogwarts! In the Wizarding World!” Harry sighed. “It’s the only place where - at least I think - I have friends!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends that don’t even write to Harry Potter?” Dobby asked, his voice conniving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve probably just - </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait. </span>
  </em>
  <span>How do you know they haven’t written to me?” Harry asked suspiciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter must not be angry with Dobby. Dobby did this for Harry Potter’s safety-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you been stopping my letters?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby jumped out of Harry’s reach tactfully. He slowly pulled out a wad of envelopes from his pillowcase. Harry could make out Ron’s untidy scrawl, Hermione’s neat print, Neville’s tiny lettering, and even a messy scribble that seemed to be from Hagrid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby blinked at Harry guiltily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby hoped...if Harry Potter’s friends had forgotten him..he’d not return to Hogwarts, sir…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry was too angry to listen. He lunged at Dobby to grab the letters but Dobby dodged nimbly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter will have them, sir, when he gives Dobby his word to not return! Ah, sir, the dangers that await you! You must not return!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Harry whispered angrily. “GIVE ME MY FRIENDS’ LETTERS!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice.” Dobby said ominously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Harry could stop him, Dobby darted to the door, pulled it open and shot down the stairs. Harry, hot on his tail (if he had one) shot down the staircase, and landed catlike at the bottom. His eyes darted about for Dobby. He heard Aunt Petunia’s false laugh. He at last spotted Dobby in the kitchen, near Aunt Petunia’s pudding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry’s stomach dropped as Dobby snapped his fingers quietly, making the pudding float in the air towards Mrs. Mason’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dobby, please.” Harry pleaded desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter must give Dobby his word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dobby looked at Harry tragically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then it must be done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pudding collapsed unto Mrs. Mason’s head, splattering her and Mr. Mason with sugary goodness. Mrs. Mason screamed, horrified. Vernon looked past her as Petunia apologized profusely, and saw Harry. The Masons rushed out hurriedly as Vernon lumbered over to Harry and grabbed him by the collar, breathing loudly like a rhinoceros.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you DO?!” Vernon asked angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing! I didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>anything!” Harry pleaded, and Vernon dragged him up the stairs to his attic-room, and locked him inside. Soon after, he had gotten a ladder and bolted bars on Harry’s window, smiling evilly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won’t be going anywhere.” He cackled.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harry sighed quietly. The Dursleys had retired to bed, leaving Harry awake. He stared out his barred window into the night, as he tried to sleep. In his dreams, he saw himself in a prison, Dudley gawking at him, Dobby crying out “At least Harry Potter is safe!” as Harry shook the bars in frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry woke with a start, hearing a noise outside his window, almost like a car engine. He stood up straight, seeing that the moonlight wasn’t entering his room anymore, it was obscured by something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked over to the window, and was surprised. There </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>someone gawking at him through the bars. A certain red-haired someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ron Weasley.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Flying Ford</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harry makes a daring escape from Privet Drive, with help from old faces.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Ron?” Harry asked in surprise. He got up and headed to the window so he could talk to Ron properly. He breathed a gasp when he fully saw. Ron was in a flying </span>
  <em>
    <span>car. </span>
  </em>
  <span>A turquoise Ford Angila by the looks of it. In the front seats were Ron’s elder brothers, Fred and George.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello Harry!” Ron said, his voice as happy as ever. “Why haven’t you been answering my letters?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll explain later - what are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing </span>
  </em>
  <span>here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rescuing you of course!” Ron said, like that was obvious. “Now go on, get your trunk!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My Hogwarts stuff is downstairs.” Harry listened, and heard Vernon’s loud snores. “Locked, in the closet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We know what to do.” Fred and George said in unison. “Ron, use the saw.” Ron pulled out a hacksaw and carefully cut open Harry’s bedroom window’s bars. The bars tumbled silently to the ground, into some well-placed bushes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Move over Harry.” George said as he backed up the car a little bit, so the driver’s door was in front of Harry’s window. Harry moved to the side near Hedwig’s cage, who was staying silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>George climbed in, Fred behind him. George pulled out a hairpin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A lot of wizards think this is useless, to learn this muggle trick.” Fred whispered as George picked the lock. “But we think otherwise.” The lock clicked and George pushed the door open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Watch out for the bottom stair - it creaks.” Harry warned as the twins crept down the stairs. Soon, they returned with Harry’s trunk, and with Harry’s help, they lifted the trunk into the backseat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fred and George climbed back into the car and Harry was about to follow them, when a loud screech came from behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve forgotten Hedwig!” Harry said as he backed into his room. He strained to hear the Dursleys’ snoring. Nothing. Instead, he heard the sound of someone lumbering up the stairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“THAT BLOODY PIGEON!” Vernon said angrily. “I’ll get it this time!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry hurriedly rushed Hedwig’s cage through the window and was almost done climbing in himself when the door swung open, Vernon in the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s ESCAPING!” Vernon yelled as he rushed forward and grabbed Harry by the leg, trying to pull him back through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let GO!” Harry kicked against Vernon’s grip, but it wasn’t working.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no boy, you and that </span>
  <em>
    <span>bloody </span>
  </em>
  <span>chicken aren’t going </span>
  <em>
    <span>anywhere.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Grab on!” Fred called to Harry and Harry took a hold of the Ford’s door as Fred hit the pedal and drove forward, releasing Harry from Vernon’s grip. Harry was hanging by the door, and quickly, Ron pulled him in and slammed the Ford’s door and locked it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See you next summer!” Harry called to the Dursleys as Fred drove off, making the three Weasleys erupt in laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let Hedwig out, she hasn’t stretched her wings in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Harry said to Ron, and with a pass of the hairpin and a quick lock-pick, Hedwig was out of her cage and gliding alongside the car like a ghost.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“So this Dobby character.” Ron said finally, when Harry was done explaining. “He came to warn you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. About the horrors that awaited me in Hogwarts.” Harry said, sighing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This sounds odd. Especially the head-hitting thing.” Ron looked grave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Harry.” Fred slumped from the driver’s seat. “House elves don’t act like that. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>used </span>
  </em>
  <span>to, but not anymore. Laws have been put in place - took too long if you ask me - that give house elves rights that put them on equal ground.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” George continued. “And if a house elf is still doing self-punishment, it must come from an old wizarding family, and a bad one too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And we can’t be sure. This could be a hoax to keep you away from Hogwarts.” Ron added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s see, who would want Harry out of Hogwarts, be from an old wizarding family, and treat a house elf like vermin? Too left Fred.” George moved the steering wheel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Malfoy?” Ron and Harry asked at the same time. “Malfoy.” They repeated. “Draco Malfoy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucius Malfoy’s son?” George asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Must be.” Harry said. Malfoy wasn’t a common name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I heard Dad talking about him.” Fred said from the driver’s seat. “He was a huge supporter of You-Know-Who.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry shifted. He wanted the Weasleys to call Voldemort by his real name - something Dumbledore said about it - </span>
  <em>
    <span>fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When You-Know-Who was defeated - the </span>
  <em>
    <span>first </span>
  </em>
  <span>time - Lucius Malfoy went back on his claims, saying he didn’t mean it, and he was under the Imperius Curse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Load of bull.” Ron said, his face twisted in a disgusted look. “Dad reckons Lucius is lying - that Lucius was a part of Voldemort’s inner circle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car jutted to a stop. Fred and George turned to Ron, their faces pale.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t - don’t say the name.” Fred said, his voice faint.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not afraid of him.” Ron said stiffly. “Harry saw him last year. He’s nothing to be afraid of.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry felt his heart warm up with pride.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car ride continued in silence for almost half an hour. Ron broke the silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad we came to get you.” Ron said. “I was getting very worried when you didn’t answer any of my letters. At first I thought it was Errol’s fault-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Errol?” Harry asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My owl. He’s an old duff who can barely do anything, so I tried to borrow Hermes-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hermes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Percy’s owl. Mum and Dad got it for him for becoming a prefect.” George piped up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But Percy wouldn’t budge.” Ron said, sighing. “Said he needed it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Percy’s been acting strange.” Fred remarked. “Always cooped up in his room and sending tons of letters. And he’s showing an odd interest in our Quidditch practice now. He suddenly cares about winning the House Cup.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He is a prefect.” Harry pointed out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Still.” Fred said. “It’s not like him at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does your dad know you have his car?” Harry asked after a few minutes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Ron said guiltily. “He was at work. If we’re lucky Mum won’t know either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Work?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He works in the most boring department.” Ron said. “Misuse of Muggle Artifacts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t let Dad hear you say that.” George snickered. “He’ll turn you into a frog.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember what happened when Mr. Fudge said the MMA was the least useful department?” Fred said. “Dad was </span>
  <em>
    <span>livid. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He looked like he wanted to beat up Fudge.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry wanted to ask who Fudge was, but stopped, realizing he would find out later if it was important.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does he do at the department?” Harry asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He deals with enchanted muggle stuff. Like spitting teapots.” Ron replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spitting teapots?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spitting teapot. An old muggle lady - bless her heart - wanted to use it to serve tea to her friends, and it ended up serving the tea </span>
  <em>
    <span>on </span>
  </em>
  <span>her friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ouch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Dad was frantic, it’s only him and an old wizard in the department, so it was quite hard to clean up, so many Memory Charms-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t this car…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fred laughed. “Yeah. Dad has tons of muggle stuff in our garage. He likes to take ‘em apart, enchant ‘em, and put ‘em back together. If our garage was searched, Dad would have to put himself under arrest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun slowly dipped over the horizon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the main road.” George said as the car sank below the clouds. “Just in time...the sun’s rising.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A village came into view.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ottery St. Catchpole.” Fred said. “Our house is just overhead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car bumbled forward and Harry got his first look of the Weasley home. It looked like a large pigpen that had multiple stone rooms added here and there, till it was multiple stories high - likely held up by magic. Four chimneys stood on the red roof, each of them coughing up smoke. A sign near the front door read, </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Burrow. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Around the front door was a storm of wellingtons, and an old, rusted cauldron that seemed to have rusted into the ground. Several chickens trotted across the yard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not much.” Ron said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think it’s brilliant.” Harry replied, thinking of how much better this was than Privet Drive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car touched down on the lawn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go upstairs quietly.” Fred whispered. “Wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. And you Ron, come downstairs, saying ‘Mum, look who turned up in the night!’ and she won’t have to know about the car.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right. Harry, I sleep at the-” Ron and his brothers all went green, their eyes fixated past Harry. Harry turned around too. It was Mrs. Weasley, bounding across the yard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Mum.” Fred said weakly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHERE,” Mrs. Weasley fumed. “HAVE. YOU. BEEN?!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Keeping Up With the Weasleys I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'VE BEEN GONE FOR A WHILE I KNOW, BUT I'M BACK WITH A SHORT CHAPTER AND A VENGEANCE.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Despite all four boys being taller than Mrs. Weasley, they all shrank before her yelling self. Mrs. Weasley was a short, stout and kindly-looking woman, but right now she looked like a short, angry lion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“BESIDE MYSELF IS WORRY. NO </span>
  <em>
    <span>NOTE, </span>
  </em>
  <span>CAR </span>
  <em>
    <span>GONE, </span>
  </em>
  <span>IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN, YOU COULD HAVE MADE YOUR FATHER LOSE HIS JOB - NEVER HAVE I EVER-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This went on for almost five minutes. Harry stood there awkwardly as the three Weasleys were berated by their mother. Afterwards, she turned to him, making him back up reflexively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Weasley didn’t seem to notice this, and smiled widely. “Come on Harry dear. Time for a spot of breakfast.” She said, her voice sweet and kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked to Ron, who gave him a nod, and he followed Mrs. Weasley into the Burrow, the three Weasley boys right behind them.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t think of any single word to describe the Weasley home. It was even better than it looked from the outside. From his seat at the dining table, he looked around. A clock sat on the wall opposite to him, each hand had a name of a Weasley on it, and instead of numbers were indications like “work” and “bedtime”. Books were stacked along the mantelpiece, with titles like Fancy a Festive Feast, How To Incendio your Meals, and Gilderoy Lockhart’s Guide to Household Pests. Mrs. Weasley cluttered around, cooking eggs and sausage, meanwhile muttering things like “can’t believe it” and “never would’ve thunk”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not your fault, dear.” Mrs. Weasley said as she slid sausages into Harry’s plate. “You didn’t ask them to fly the darn car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was cloudy Mum!” Fred said as he chewed a sausage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t talk while you’re eating!” She chastised, and turned back to Harry, and put in some scrambled eggs as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arthur and I were worried about you, we would’ve come down and picked you up ourselves if you hadn’t responded to Ron’s letters by Friday.” Mrs. Weasley cut up some bread and buttered it for Harry, then put it in his plate. “But seriously - flying an illegal car - you could’ve been seen-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were starving him Mum!” George said as he bit into his bread. “We had to!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I say about talking while you eat?” She snapped, but she didn’t seem to disagree with George’s statement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a short pause when a small redheaded figure in a nightdress came down the stairs, froze, and shot back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s Ginny.” Ron said in an undertone. “She’s been talking about you all summer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’ll want your autograph, Harry.” Fred whispered, but Mrs. Weasley shot him a deadly eye and she turned to his food. There was silence, other than the clinking of the self-washing dishes, until the four plates were empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m ruddy tired.” George said, feigning a yawn. “I’ll just head up to bed-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even think about it. The garden’s overrun with baby lindworms again.” Mrs. Weasley said, waving her wand and making the washing start up on its own. “You’ll need to get rid of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lindworms?” Ron asked, sounding annoyed. “I thought we finally got rid of them last week!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you must’ve not done a good job.” Mrs. Weasley took one of the fancy books from the shelf, the one by Gilderoy Lockhart. “Let’s see what Lockhart has on the subject.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Weasley looked dreamy-faced as she flipped through the pages. Ron, George and Fred looked bored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to worry, Mum.” Fred said, his voice dead. “We know how to get rid of lindworms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Weasley snapped the book shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, then.” She said, and then she turned to Harry. “You can go up to bed dear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I’d like to follow them, I’ve never seen lindworms before-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s kind of you dear, but it’s dull work.” Mrs. Weasley said, but she didn’t stop Harry from following Ron, Fred and George out to the Weasleys’ vast garden. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harry was surprised to see what lindworms looked like. They were a dark green, snake-like, with two reptilian front legs and horns on their head. They were small, about as long as Harry’s wand, but they were awfully quick and slippery, so they were hard to catch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They could also breath fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So catching them was a challenge. At least, it seemed like one at first, until Fred and George handed Harry an apple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wave it in the air.” Fred said, as he raised his apple up. “They’ll fly at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, as Harry raised the apple into the air, a dozen lindworms jumped at it and bit it, making the apple look like it grew green, scaly Gorgon hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now what?” Harry asked, holding the apple by the stalk, careful to not get bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We chuck ‘em over the fence.” Fred said, and flicked his over the wooden fence. George gave his a good toss, and Ron and Harry followed suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will they get hurt?” Harry asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” George said, looking over his hand to see if he got bit. “Lindworms are mighty tough, plus they get a free meal. They’ll probably come right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, the doorbell rang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Dad!” Ron called out. The three Weasleys ran back to the house in excitement, Harry on their tail.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Floo Powdered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When the Weasley boys (and Harry) got to the house, they found Mr. Weasley sitting at the dining table, a short, stout man with thinning hair, but the little that was there was as red as any Weasley. He was wearing long, green robes that looked very old.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nine raids!” Mr. Weasley said almost to himself, as he reached for the teapot. “And Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me while I wasn’t looking..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all gathered around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Find anything good, Dad?” Fred asked, excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing but a spitting kettle, and dancing keys.” Mr. Weasley said tiredly, pouring tea into a mug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spitting kettle?” Harry asked, intending it as a thought, but instead said it out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spitting kettle. Charmed to shoot out the tea in it, wizards sell them to Muggles so they-” Mr. Weasley stopped, then turned to Harry. “Wait, who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry realized he hadn’t introduced himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, sir, Harry Potter.” He said politely, and braced himself for what he knew would come next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Weasley’s eyes widened. “Harry Potter? Well I’ll be damned. Ron’s told us a lot about you, Harry. When did he get here?” Mr. Weasley took a sip of tea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This morning.” Mrs. Weasley said, appearing in the doorway, her voice abrasive. “Your sons drove that darned magic car to Privet Drive!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you really?! How’d it go?” Mr. Weasley momentarily forgot the danger of driving a flying car into a Muggle neighborhood. “I mean- That was very wrong of you, boys…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s leave them to it. Come on, I’ll show you my room.” Ron said, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to what looked like an argument.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Climbing up the stairs, Harry passed many doors, zigzagging upwards, until they came to Ron’s room, at the top of five stories. Opening the door and bending under the sloping ceiling, Harry blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like walking into a furnace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was a brilliant shade of orange, from the bedspread, to the carpets, to the wallpaper, everything seemed to be as fiery as Ron’s hair. Once Harry’s eyes adjusted to the brightness of the color, he saw that nearly every inch of the wallpaper was covered with posters, all with the same CCs and the same seven players on them, waving from their seats on their luxury brooms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Quidditch team?” Harry asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chudley Cannons.” Ron said proudly. “Ninth in the league.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ron’s spellbooks were stacked untidily in the corner, the books themselves shoddy, next to a stack of comics that all seemed to feature Michael Martins, the Mad Muggle. Ron’s wand sat atop a tank full of tadpoles sitting on the windowsill, next to his fat, hairy, grey rat, Scabbers, who was sleeping in the sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry turned to Ron, who was looking at him nervously, as if waiting for Harry’s judgment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s pretty small.” Ron said quickly. “Not like the room you’ve got with the Muggles. And I’m under the ghoul in the attic, he’s always banging the pipes and groaning…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the best house I’ve ever been in.” Harry said, grinning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ron’s cheeks went a deep pink.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>At the Burrow, Harry felt much more loved than he ever had at Privet Drive. Everyone seemed to like him, unlike back at the Dursleys. Mrs. Weasley always encouraged him to take extra toast at breakfast and fussed over the state of his socks and messy black hair; Mr. Weasley would often sit Harry down beside him at the dining table and fire him with questions about Muggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating!” Mr. Weasley gasped, as Harry walked him through using a telephone. “Ingenious, really, how Muggles can work around lack of magic…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fred and George took it upon themselves to consult Harry during all their odd experiments; even Percy seemed interested in Harry, and when catching Harry in hallways would ask him about Quidditch, especially his Quidditch coach, Oliver Wood. Harry didn’t comment on this, but he knew Percy was never the most interested in Quidditch.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harry heard from Hogwarts not long after he arrived at the Burrow. One sunny morning, as the Wealseys were eating breakfast, an owl came flying in, but missed the window and hit the wall beside it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Errol!” Ron said angrily, and walked up to the window, reaching out, and picking up an old, grey owl that resembled a featherduster more than a living creature. Ron picked two envelopes from his beak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Its Hermione’s and Neville’s letters.” Ron said. “I wrote to them about rescuing Harry from the Dursleys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ron opened Hermione’s letter first, and read aloud:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dear Ronald, and Harry if you’re there,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hope everything went well, and you didn’t do anything illegal to get Harry from the Muggles, because that’d get Harry in trouble too. I’ve been really worried about Harry, and I hope he’s all right. If it went well please let me know at once; maybe use a different owl this time, because another delivery might finish off yours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m very busy with schoolwork-” “How </span>
  <em>
    <span>can </span>
  </em>
  <span>she be? We’re on holiday…” Ron said in horror. “-and me and my dads are coming down to Diagon Alley on Wednesday to buy our new books.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, the mail owl came fluttering into the Burrow, dropping a bunch of gilded Hogwarts letters in the middle of the dining table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve sent us our Hogwarts letters, I suppose.” Percy said, reaching over the table to grab the stack of letters. He counted them. “And look, they’ve sent us Harry’s as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, that makes sense - doesn’t miss a trick, Dumbledore…” Mr. Weasley said as he buttered his toast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s good then. We’ll all go down to Diagon Alley and get your schoolbooks.” Mrs. Weasley said, and then took a bite of her toast, effectively putting an end to the discussion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, the Weasleys enjoyed their breakfast.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t know what to expect when it came to getting to Diagon Alley. He was expecting them to use Mr. Weasley’s car, and drive to Diagon like Hagrid did. Heck, he’d even be okay with being Apparated there. But he didn’t expect to be handed a small pot of dust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on, after you dear.” Mrs. Weasley said kindly, offering him the pot like he was meant to do something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked at the waiting Weasleys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...What am I supposed to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry’s never traveled by Floo powder!” Ron said suddenly, like he was struck by an epiphany. “Sorry, I forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never?” Mr. Weasley asked. “How’d you get to Diagon Alley last year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used the Underground-” Harry was cut off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Underground?!” Mr. Weasley eagerly. “Were there </span>
  <em>
    <span>escapators? </span>
  </em>
  <span>How did-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not now, Arthur.” Mrs. Weasley said. “Floo powder’s faster, but if you haven’t done it before dear…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be fine, mum.” Fred said, grabbing a handful of the dust. “Here, watch me Harry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fred walked up to the fireplace and tossed the dust into the fire, causing it glow an elegant green. Stepping into the flames unharmed, he said aloud, “Diagon Alley!” and with that, he disappeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on Harry dear.” Mrs. Weasley said encouragingly, and Harry took a handful for himself. “Be sure to speak clearly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tossing the dust inside and stepping into the flames, he didn’t feel the flames even touching him. It was like last year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shut his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“D-diagon Alley!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Harry felt like an egg in a kettle. He could hear a loud bubbling noise as he bipped and bobbed through the air, shooting up the chimney and into the blue sky. He was unsure of how long it took, but he felt a thud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes, and he could see this clearly wasn’t Diagon Alley. He was in an old, dark wizard’s shop, but as he looked around, he was sure what was here wouldn’t be found in any Hogwarts school list.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, what Harry saw was so gruesome I cannot put it down into words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry, taking care to not </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>at anything, silently crept for the door, but then saw two people approaching, and definitely the two people he’d not want to see - ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco Malfoy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And judging by the same sneer the other person wore, the person accompanying Draco was his father.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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